


God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

by ChokolatteJedi



Category: House M.D.
Genre: Advent Calendar, Advent Calendar Drabble, Advent Challenge 2011, Christmas, Episode Tag, Episode: s04e10 Have A Wonderful Lie, Gen, Inspired by Music, Piano
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-18
Updated: 2011-12-18
Packaged: 2017-11-10 06:08:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/463059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChokolatteJedi/pseuds/ChokolatteJedi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>House plays his piano. The aftermath of "Have a Wonderful Lie"</p>
            </blockquote>





	God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

**Author's Note:**

> Advent Calendar Day 18

**"God rest ye merry, gentlemen  
Let nothing you dismay  
Remember, Christ, our Saviour  
Was born on Christmas day  
To save us all from Satan's power  
When we were gone astray  
O tidings of comfort and joy,  
Comfort and joy  
O tidings of comfort and joy"**

House sat at his piano and played the familiar carol from memory. He had always liked the flowing, deep notes of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," and its mixture of jolly and melancholy.

One the one hand, he had figured out the Differential, and his patient might even survive. On the other, he was alone, as per usual. He wasn't going to say that it hurt, seeing all of his past and present Fellows standing together, enjoying themselves, but it hadn't felt right. Foreman noticed him, caught his eye in that smug way that meant he thought he knew something about House.

He'd have to prove him wrong tomorrow.

**"In Bethlehem, in Israel,  
This blessed Babe was born  
And laid within a manger  
Upon this blessed morn  
The which His Mother Mary  
Did nothing take in scorn  
O tidings of comfort and joy,  
Comfort and joy  
O tidings of comfort and joy"**

Chase had glanced up too, but his look had been more reserved. He didn't particularly want to see House go down in a blaze of malpractice suits, and it didn't give him as much pleasure to picture his former boss cutting through the party without resistance and going home alone. Although he had made a stop first, to check on his Sunday School teacher from Exam Two.

He had been pleasantly surprised to find that she had such a wicked sense of humor, and though he had stopped going to church long ago, even for Christmas Mass, he still decided to slip in and see her show. Of course, he had slipped out again at the end, before she could find him and say something mushy or silly and ruin their nice rapport.

It was almost too bad she wasn't actually a hooker, because he could use a little of her humor in the bedroom on the rare occasion that he indulged.

**"From God our Heavenly Father  
A blessed Angel came;  
And unto certain Shepherds  
Brought tidings of the same:  
How that in Bethlehem was born  
The Son of God by Name.  
O tidings of comfort and joy,  
Comfort and joy  
O tidings of comfort and joy"**

The other fellows, the new ones, hadn't noticed at all, and probably all but Kutner would have been happy to see him slink off. Thirteen was refreshingly hard to play, especially compared to Kutner's almost idiotic gullibility. House had tried to bet Wilson ten bucks that the man would have been the first to cave in the Secret Santa, but James hadn't wanted to play.

House glanced across the room to where the three unwrapped presents sat on his coffee table, along with a fourth, wrapped, from Wilson. He had actually been surprised to get a gift from Wilson this year, given the other man's disapproval of his Secret Santa game, but it was more likely that he had purchased and wrapped it a while ago, and just decided not to fuss with withholding it. Or possibly he had gone out and gotten something new that would teach House a lesson, but he hadn't seemed quite that annoyed.

**""Fear not then," said the Angel,  
"Let nothing you affright,  
This day is born a Saviour  
Of a pure Virgin bright,  
To free all those who trust in Him  
From Satan's power and might."  
O tidings of comfort and joy,  
Comfort and joy  
O tidings of comfort and joy"**

A tiny smile lit his face at the memory of Wilson's waving antler hat. He hadn't wanted to derail their good discussion with niceties when his patient was dying of something incurable and un-diagnosable, so he had mocked, as usual. It had been hard not to smile, though, when it waved. It had actually been quite clever and cute, and House was sure that more than one nurse had fallen even more in love with the boy doctor because of it.

Not that House wanted to think about the nurses throwing themselves at Jimmy tonight, no matter how true it probably was. He was back at that party, with the ducklings and Cuddy and the new fellows. And they were all enjoying themselves, as they should be. None of them except possibly Wilson would even notice that House was missing, and none would have a better night if he had attended.

No, it was better that he sit here, alone, and just enjoy the peace and music. 

**"The shepherds at those tidings  
Rejoiced much in mind,  
And left their flocks a-feeding  
In tempest, storm and wind:  
And went to Bethlehem straightway  
The Son of God to find.  
O tidings of comfort and joy,  
Comfort and joy  
O tidings of comfort and joy"**

He and his team weren't on duty tomorrow, and as the patient was going to live, they wouldn't even need to be there to work on the differential. Wilson might have to come in, to begin her oncological procedures, but she was completely his concern now. House intended to sleep in tomorrow and then make a late breakfast – maybe he had the fixings for waffles – and then do nothing.

He could probably catch a few good Christmas specials on TV, but that would be the extent of his holiday cheer. He would be just fine alone – a chance to catch up on some of his back reading. Maybe listen to his new LP. He might even get a head start on the next day's rush and return his new watch. Yes, he was going to have a full day tomorrow, and if anyone asked, he was quite pleased with those plans.

But tonight he played, and he sang, and he remembered.

**"And when they came to Bethlehem  
Where our dear Saviour lay,  
They found Him in a manger,  
Where oxen feed on hay;  
His Mother Mary kneeling down,  
Unto the Lord did pray.  
O tidings of comfort and joy,  
Comfort and joy  
O tidings of comfort and joy"**

**"Now to the Lord sing praises,  
All you within this place,  
And with true love and brotherhood  
Each other now embrace;  
This holy tide of Christmas  
All other doth deface.  
O tidings of comfort and joy,  
Comfort and joy  
O tidings of comfort and joy"**

**Author's Note:**

> And the song: God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
> 
> Funnily enough, it is really hard to find a commercial version of this song that actually includes all the verses. Most of the ones I've found (and I've been looking) just do some combination of verses 1, 2, 3, and 7. But I figure House is the kind of guy who knows them all. ;)
> 
> God rest ye merry, gentlemen  
> Let nothing you dismay  
> Remember, Christ, our Saviour  
> Was born on Christmas day  
> To save us all from Satan's power  
> When we were gone astray  
> O tidings of comfort and joy,  
> Comfort and joy  
> O tidings of comfort and joy
> 
> In Bethlehem, in Israel,  
> This blessed Babe was born  
> And laid within a manger  
> Upon this blessed morn  
> The which His Mother Mary  
> Did nothing take in scorn  
> O tidings of comfort and joy,  
> Comfort and joy  
> O tidings of comfort and joy
> 
> From God our Heavenly Father  
> A blessed Angel came;  
> And unto certain Shepherds  
> Brought tidings of the same:  
> How that in Bethlehem was born  
> The Son of God by Name.  
> O tidings of comfort and joy,  
> Comfort and joy  
> O tidings of comfort and joy
> 
> "Fear not then," said the Angel,  
> "Let nothing you affright,  
> This day is born a Saviour  
> Of a pure Virgin bright,  
> To free all those who trust in Him  
> From Satan's power and might."  
> O tidings of comfort and joy,  
> Comfort and joy  
> O tidings of comfort and joy
> 
> The shepherds at those tidings  
> Rejoiced much in mind,  
> And left their flocks a-feeding  
> In tempest, storm and wind:  
> And went to Bethlehem straightway  
> The Son of God to find.  
> O tidings of comfort and joy,  
> Comfort and joy  
> O tidings of comfort and joy
> 
> And when they came to Bethlehem  
> Where our dear Saviour lay,  
> They found Him in a manger,  
> Where oxen feed on hay;  
> His Mother Mary kneeling down,  
> Unto the Lord did pray.  
> O tidings of comfort and joy,  
> Comfort and joy  
> O tidings of comfort and joy
> 
> Now to the Lord sing praises,  
> All you within this place,  
> And with true love and brotherhood  
> Each other now embrace;  
> This holy tide of Christmas  
> All other doth deface.  
> O tidings of comfort and joy,  
> Comfort and joy  
> O tidings of comfort and joy


End file.
